Around 1.5 million people in the UK are thought to be using weight loss jabs, with many paying privately as NHS supplies remain limited – but some dangerous side effects have been reported
A nurse has issued a stark warning to Brits using Mounjaro, claiming a “common mistake” could put them at risk of life-threatening organ failure.
Dubbed the “King Kong” of slimming injections, Mounjaro is now available on the NHS to help tackle the UK’s obesity crisis. But experts warn thousands of patients may be vulnerable to serious side effects because GPs are failing to carry out one crucial blood test.
Rachael Joy, a nurse and chief clinical officer at private healthcare provider SheMed, told Mail Online : “The safest way for people to use these jabs is through mandatory blood screening.”
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She explained that simple blood tests could flag up hidden health issues that might make the jabs unsuitable, such as liver problems, uncontrolled diabetes or dangerously high levels of triglycerides – a type of fat in the blood that can raise the risk of pancreatitis.
“If someone has really high triglycerides, they may be at higher risk of pancreatitis,” she warned.
Pancreatitis – an inflammation of the pancreas, the organ behind your stomach – can trigger organ failure and even prove fatal in severe cases. Experts believe high fat levels, combined with dehydration and other factors, could make certain people more vulnerable.
Ms Joy added: “People with uncontrolled diabetes are also at greater risk of becoming severely dehydrated, which can be very serious. Without a blood test, this could be missed.”
The warning comes as the UK’s medicines regulator investigates whether some people have a genetic trait that increases their risk of dangerous side effects from “GLP-1” drugs like Ozempic, Mounjaro and Wegovy.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) confirmed it is probing more than 560 reports of pancreatitis linked to the jabs since their launch, including 10 deaths.
Dr Alison Cave, the MHRA’s chief safety officer, said: “Evidence shows almost a third of side effects to medicines could be prevented with genetic testing.”
Adverse drug reactions already cost the NHS an estimated £2.2 billion a year in hospital stays alone, and account for one in six hospital admissions.
While Mounjaro has been hailed as a game-changer for weight loss and for lowering blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes, Ms Joy cautioned it is “not a silver bullet” and can cause serious side effects, including nausea, diarrhoea and dehydration.
Severe dehydration can lead to headaches, dizziness and, in rare cases, seizures or kidney failure if untreated.
She is now urging healthcare bosses to impose stricter safety guidelines for prescribing the jabs, warning that busy GPs are under huge time pressures.
At SheMed, blood tests are mandatory before patients are approved for treatment, but Ms Joy fears this isn’t always happening elsewhere.
The MHRA is also urging anyone who suffers side effects to report them through its Yellow Card scheme. Genetic screening is being explored as a way to make prescribing safer in future.
Professor Matt Brown, chief scientific officer of Genomics England, said: “Medicines like GLP-1s can be transformative, but like all treatments, there’s a risk of serious side effects. Many adverse reactions may have a genetic cause, and genetic screening could be the key to safer, more personalised treatment.”
Around 1.5 million people in the UK are thought to be using weight loss jabs, with many paying privately as NHS supplies remain limited.
The main warning sign of pancreatitis is severe stomach pain radiating to the back that doesn’t go away. Anyone experiencing this is urged to seek urgent medical attention.
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